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Report: Dozens of people killed by carbon monoxide after leaving keyless cars running

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Updated: 8:48 AM EDT May 14, 2018

Report: Dozens of people killed by carbon monoxide after leaving keyless cars running

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Updated: 8:48 AM EDT May 14, 2018

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WEBVTT NEWSCENTER5'S JORGE QUIROGA IS LIVE WITH THE WARNING TONIGHT. HOR RHEA? HOR RHEA: THE PROBLEM IS NOT SO MUCH WHEN YOU ARE DRIVE THE PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU GET HOME. A NEW CLASS-ACTION ARE A YOU SUIT CLAIMS KEYLESSNITIONS MAY BE CONVENIENT BUT ALSO PUT YOU AT RISK. 77-YEAR-OLD NYACK OF WEYMOTH IS NOT PART OF THE LAWSUIT BUT IT HAPPENED TO HIM. SOMETIMES IT IS NOT SHUTOUT. JORGE. THE HOME FILLED WITH DEAD RY FUME, THE WHOLE FAMILY GOT REALLY SICK. I PASSED OUT. THEN THE NEXT THING I REMEMBER MY SON IN LAW WAS CALLING 911. JORGE F. 13 DEATHANCE NUMEROUS INIERS ARE HAVE BEEN CALLED FROM CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. DRIVERS LEFT THE CAR RUN AND THE XA RAGE FILLING WITH TOXIC FILM! PUMS. MARY NEARLY DIED AFTER LEAVING HER CAR RUNNING. IT TURNED OFF. I THOUGHT THEY TURNED IT OFF. JORGE. WILE SOME CARS DO WARNING LIGHTS TO LET DRIVERS LO THE CAR IS STILL ON, CRITICS WANT AN EMERGENCY SHUT JUF ON ALL CARS. YOU GET OUT OF THE CAR. YOU LEAVE THE INTERIOR LIGHT ON AND GO AWAY FOR 15 SECONDS TURNS THEM OFF. WHY CAUNT TURN THE ENGINE OFF AND AVOID THESE DEATHS? JORGE: A DANGER THEY WILL NOT EVER FORGET. WE LEARN FROM THE MISTAKE. WE DID. JORGE: AND TONIGHT, MOST CAR COMPANIES HAD NO COMMENT ON THE LAWSUIT BUT SPORTS DID TELL ABC NEWS, KEYLESS IGNITION SYSTEM

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Report: Dozens of people killed by carbon monoxide after leaving keyless cars running

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Updated: 8:48 AM EDT May 14, 2018

A report from the New York Times found that dozens of people have been poisoned by carbon monoxide after failing to shut off the keyless ignition on their vehicles.

Since 2006, at least 28 people have died and 45 others have suffered injuries from the gas after they thought they had turned off their vehicles, the Times found.

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The report highlights the efforts by some groups to push for new regulations from automakers to combat the problem.

Keyless ignition allows drivers to start their cars with the press of a button while an electronic key fob remains in their pocket or purse. The technology first entered the American market in the early 2000s.

In 2015, a class action lawsuit claimed there had been 13 carbon monoxide-related deaths linked to keyless ignition cars. A judge dismissed the suit in September 2016.

The Times report, published Sunday, indicates the problem may be more widespread than previously thought.

The Society of Automotive Engineers, a leading standards group for the auto industry, seven years ago called for requiring automakers to include warning signals — such as a series of beeps — to alert drivers if their cars were left on, according to the Times report.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration then proposed a new regulation in line with the Society of Automotive Engineers idea.

But the auto industry opposed the rule, and the agency has yet to follow through with the regulation.

NHTSA also reportedly launched a probe into seven automakers in 2013 that sought to find information on what safety features they installed on keyless ignition vehicles.

"But the inquiry was quickly and inconclusively wound down," the Times reported.

"Once NHTSA has finished its review and determined the best path forward, NHTSA will take appropriate action," the agency said in March in a statement to the Times. NHTSA did not immediately return CNN's request for comment.

Some carmakers have voluntarily included such features, the Times reports, but others have not.

The Times said that Toyota vehicles, including some Lexus vehicles, played a part in almost half of the inadvertent carbon monoxide deaths.